2006 Clos Fantine Faugères

Community Tasting Notes (1) Avg Score: 92 points

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  12/16/2009 - campingfleurie wrote: 92 Points

  Popped and poured. A ‘Natural’ wine, with Mourvedre as largest varietal, so I was expecting something scarily meaty and charmless. Surprise number 1: just a stunning saturated colour! Number 2: loads of rich fruit. Superb depth to the blackberry to blackcurrant, cigar box, sweet spices and wafting world of wild herbs. The concentration they’ve achieved is obviously one of the outcomes of the natural-wine-creating efforts: the dry extract of this wine would surely be ‘out there’. But right now it’s all in balance, because the wine is glossy and vital – ripe tannins and unobtrusive acidity. I say “right now” because I definitely don’t recommend ageing. That’s partly because it is singing now; partly because there is a trace at the end of the finish of the cardboard of oxidisation which comes with many no-sulphur wines. I’ve tasted with people who do and don’t get that, but I feel obliged to point it out. I’m normally quite upset about it, but the rest of the wine is SO more than good enough to compensate. Next day, there’s more clearly earth, mineral and minor meatiness; and the tannins are more defined, giving a nice textural component. Then the classy fruit-sweetness then tugs through, covering things up, and meaning that the wine comes in waves, like so many great ones do. That cardboard has grown slightly, reinforcing my drink-now advice. Since drinking this wine, I’ve noticed that DW has put it in his top 10 of 2009. Personally, quite possibly my best value drink of 2009. 92-93, 92?

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